Lonely No More
by GothicPenguin367
Summary: Life is hard in the city. Sometimes you just need a friend. ClaireBoone friendship, CharlieClaire, and JackBoone slash. Full summary inside. Please R&R!
1. Meeting

**Summary: **Claire is struggling through life in the city because she is single and 7 months pregnant. Whereas Boone is struggling with gay life in the same city. When the two meet, will they be able to help each other? Claire/Boone friendship and some Jack/Boone slash

**Disclaimer: **I don't own lost, blah blah blah…

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**1: MEETING**

_Boone felt Jack's soft skin as he kissed him. Jack's kisses were slow and gentle. The pleasure was indescribable, and Boone could not help but smile. Little did he know that his paradise was about to be broken by the swing of a door._

"_Boone? What are you doing?" A voice screeched from the doorway. Boone sighed and pulled away from Jack, reluctantly. He turned and looked at the doorway and saw an all too familiar face scowling back at him in disgust._

"_Shannon, now is not the time." She looked as if she could hit him._

"_Now is not the time? You're making out with my doctor!" She stormed into the room so her face was inches away from Boone's. Jack shifted his weight a little._

"_I should just go." He mumbled. He waved uncomfortably at Boone as he left._

_Boone sighed again and began to make himself a cup of tea. Shannon looked mortified._

"_Don't walk away from me Boone Carlyle! Tell me what is going on!" Boone turned to look her in the eye._

"_I'm over you." She looked taken aback. "I'm over you, Shannon."_

Boone woke up with a start. He frowned as these memories flooded back to him. Shannon had not spoken to him since that night. In fact, she had tried to avoid him at all costs. Boone didn't care in the slightest. He was actually relieved. He didn't want to waste his time talking to her, not now his eyes had finally been opened.

He groaned as he heaved himself up and out of bed. Usually, he wouldn't have had to get up this early, but since his mother had found out he was gay, she fired him immediately. Now he had to work at an office that sold boxes. He was still quite well of, money wise, as he had saved up a lot of his earnings from the wedding business.

An hour later, he had parked his car two blocks away from his work (as usual) so he could get some exercise. He found himself thinking about Shannon. He knew she could be a nice person, if you looked deep down. He often wondered about calling her, to try to fix their relationship. Maybe to actually be like real a brother and sister.

He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't realise when he bumped into a young, and very pregnant, girl. She groaned and bent down to try and gather up her things. By the look of her bags, Boone guessed she had just visited the local grocery store.

"I'm so sorry!" He bent down to help her. He got a better look at her. Even though she was shorter than him, she looked around his age, maybe very slightly older.

"No, that's alright. Really." She tried to shoo him away, but Boone couldn't be got rid of that easily. "Oh no!" She gasped quietly. She had obviously been doing more than grocery shopping, as she discovered a broken plate. She blinked away tears that were brimming on her eyelids and stuffed the broken pieces into a nearby bin. Boone felt incredibly guilty.

"Hey, let me pay you for that! How much was it?" She shook her head.

"No, that's ok. It's my fault. I should have been paying attention." As she stuffed more items into brown paper bags, she wiped away a few more tears that were forming.

"No it's my fault. I should have been paying attention." Boone continued to help her. She tried to smile, but didn't really succeed.

"You're very kind. But really, just leave me to this." Boone wasn't sure what to do.

"Hey, it's alright, you-" She cut him off.

"I'm so stupid! This always happens to me!" She was shaking and a few tears trickled freely down her cheek. Boone felt very uncomfortable. He wasn't good with crying women. Actually, he wasn't good with women at all.

"Here." He pulled a tissue out of his pocket. She gratefully accepted it.

"Thanks." She wiped away any tears left on her face, and blew her nose. Boone placed the last items into their bags, and she attempted, badly, to pick them up, and stand up at the same time.

"Let me take those!" Boone took most of the bags off her, except for one which she insisted on carrying herself. He looked at her sadly. She seemed quite lonely. "Do you have anywhere to be?" She shook her head. "Great! Then I'll take you to this coffee shop down the street."

"That's very sweet, but-" This time, he cut her off.

"I insist." She smiled genuinely.

"Thanks." He heard her mumble quietly as they set off down the walk way. Boone thought to himself.

"_Screw work. I'll just pretend to be sick."_

When they reached their destination, they sat down at the nearest table, as she seemed to be slightly out of breath. Boone smiled at her. They hadn't said anything to each other on the way to the coffee shop, but there was something comfortable about the silence. A waiter approached them.

"Anything to order?" Boone looked to the girl and she thought for a moment.

"Tea, please."

"Coffee for me, thanks." The waiter nodded and left them.

After a moment of silence, the girl thought she should say something.

"Do you always hit on pregnant girls?" Boone seemed slightly surprised.

"What?" She smiled and sighed.

"I mean, 'come to the coffee shop with me'! How lame!" They laughed. He leaned across the table.

"Want to know a secret?" She leaned in. "I'm gay." She looked slightly taken aback.

"Oh." Boone smiled.

"That's the usual answer." There was another moment of silence.

"Thanks, for this." Boone smiled.

"No problem!" The waiter arrived again, this time with their drinks.

"One tea and one coffee."

"Thanks." Boone nodded at the waiter and he left again. Boone looked to the blonde girl across from him. She still looked very confused by the whole situation. "What's your name?" She jumped a little at being addressed.

"Um…Claire."

"Nice to meet you 'Um Claire'. I'm Boone." She smiled and extended her hand across the table. He shook it and began drinking his coffee. There was something about this girl that he liked, but he didn't know what it was.

They had been talking for an hour in that coffee shop. Boone learned that Claire worked in a fish and fry, she was a single mother and she lived quite near to him. After realising the time, they parted ways, both smiling. They were both very sure that they had just made a new friend.

Boone bought a newspaper before heading back to the car. He began to think about Claire and he had an idea. While he was walking, it began to pour with rain.

"_Typical."_ He thought to himself bitterly. He ran back to his car as fast as he could, tucking the newspaper under his jacket. He sighed with relief as he reached his car, and just sat for a moment, relishing the feeling of being dry and warm.

On his way home, as usual, he was caught in numerous traffic jams. He often wondered where all these people came from. He sighed and looked out of the window, waiting for the traffic lights to change. He saw a bunch of people shivering in a bus shelter. He felt sorry for them. After further inspection, he noticed that one of them was Claire. He immediately pulled out of his non-moving lane and parked at the pavement. He was soaked within a second of leaving the car, and hurried toward Claire. She seemed very surprised to see him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"You're getting in my car. And you're moving in with me." She was shocked.

"What? Boone, we've known each other for just over an hour!" She laughed. He shook his head.

"I live alone, I have plenty of money for the two of us to get by easily. No offence, but you have barely enough for just you, and I dread to think what will happen when the baby comes." She considered this for a moment, then seemed to mentally slap herself to thinking about it.

"Boone, it's not fair to you."

"Well, I'm fine with it. Scratch that, I'm happy with it. Ecstatic!" She laughed at his happy-go-lucky expression.

"Isn't 'ecstatic' a little OTT?" Boone shook his head.

"I mean it. Move in with me Claire. Heck, we could both use the company." She was quiet again. "I insist." She grinned.

"Well, if you insist."

"You crazy kid! Get off the road!" Boone and Claire looked round and saw a child skipping in the middle of the traffic and singing about how they love the rain, and annoying the head off most of the drivers. Claire and Boone both raised their eyebrows and laughed.

"We better hurry. The traffic is finally moving!" Boone grabbed Claire's hand and they dashed across the road to Boone's car. He held the passenger door open for Claire and she smiled.

"Oh, you're a gentleman, are you?" He smiled and closed the door after her. He dashed around to his side of the car and started the ignition. Claire began to read Boone's newspaper. Boone smiled to himself. He wasn't going to be alone in the apartment anymore. He would have a real friend there. Life was about to get better.

I don't know if this is any good. Review if you want the next chapter!

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	2. Comfort

Thanks to everybody who reviewed! Hope you enjoyed your cookies!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing…

**2: COMFORT**

Claire couldn't believe this was happening to her. It was all so fast, but yet so wonderful. It felt like a dream. For the first time since she left home, Claire was feeling secure. She had no money worries, and she had someone to talk to. She focused as she flipped some pancakes into the air and ran around in circles to catch them. She sighed with relief every time she caught one.

She smiled as she heard Boone enter the kitchen clumsily. He stopped in surprise when he saw the pancakes.

"What's going on?" He asked croakily.

"Making pancakes." She answered simply. She laughed slightly at his expression. "Sit down!" She placed the finished pancakes onto a plate and handed it to him. He stared at them, and made no move to touch them. Claire giggled. "They're not going to eat themselves, you know." He looked up at her.

"No one's made me pancakes in years!" They smiled at each other, before Boone grabbed his knife and fork and began devouring the pancakes. Claire was relieved and started to wash the wine glasses from the previous night.

When Boone finished, he licked his lips and leaned back in his chair.

"That was delicious." He muttered. Claire smiled as she placed the clean wine glasses in the cupboard and started to wash Boone's dishes.

Claire jumped as the phone started to ring. Boone leaped out of his chair and picked it up quickly. Claire watched his face out of the corner of her eye. Boone was smiling as he spoke to the person on the other end. He was still grinning as he slipped the phone back into the receiver.

"That was Jack." Boone said, as if reading Claire's mind.

"Boyfriend?" She asked, hoping she didn't sound too curious.

"Yeah. We're going out this afternoon, if that's ok with you." Boone looked very excited.

"Yeah that's fine. I'll just make myself at home while you're gone." Claire laughed at Boone's excitement. He was acting like a small child on Christmas morning, waiting to open their presents. Boone flopped back down on his chair, still with a huge (and lovesick, Claire thought) grin on his face. After a moment of silence, Boone spoke up.

"We're going to pick your stuff up today, right?" Boone asked. Claire nodded. Then it would be official. Claire was almost as excited at properly moving in as Boone was about his date with Jack. She managed to contain it though, otherwise she would probably break something.

After an hour, Boone and Claire clambered into his car, and with Claire directing, they headed towards her old apartment. Boone grimaced when he saw it, it was nothing like his clean and fairly modern apartment building, it was dirty and falling apart. Claire noticed Boone's reaction.

"Disgusting, huh?" Claire mumbled. Boone turned to look at her.

"No, it's…lovely." He strained. They both laughed a little, and headed to her apartment.

She fumbled around in her pockets for a moment as she struggled to find her key. The door creaked as she opened it.

"Don't worry." She muttered. "It always makes that noise." Boone was still trying to place the weird smell that kept floating up his nose. Apparently, Claire hadn't noticed it as her face remained indifferent.

As they entered, Boone shuffled uneasily into the apartment, while Claire strode past him, and into what Boone guessed was her bedroom. As she was walking, she was calling back to him,

"Don't worry, I'll just bring my-" Boone heard her gasp in horror. "What the hell are you doing here?" She shouted. Boone raced into her 'room' and stopped to see a man, a little older than himself, sitting on Claire's bed and gazing pathetically up at her.

"Claire-" he began.

"You have no right to be here." She said sternly.

"Claire-" he tried again.

"Get out." She said angrily. She stared up at her. "GET OUT!" She screamed. He stood up and approached her.

"Claire, I-" She slapped him as he tried to touch her hand. She glared at him. Boone spoke up after a short moment of silence.

"I think you should leave." The man turned to look at Boone, with surprise, as if he was only just noticing him.

"This is none of your business." He sneered at Boone. Claire seemed even more enraged by this, and made to charge at the man, before Boone grabbed her arm to restrain her. The last thing Boone thought Claire needed was getting into a fight.

"Don't you dare talk to him!" She screamed. The man seemed unfazed.

"Who the heck are you?" He glared at Boone, as if accusing him of a crime.

"I said," Claire slapped him again, this time on the other cheek. "Don't talk to him." He stared in shock at Claire. She turned to Boone.

"This is guy who left me," She spun round to face the man "with his baby." Boone nodded. Now it all made sense. The more Boone looked at him, the angrier he got. How could he do that to Claire? How could anyone do that? Boone clenched his fists. The man advanced towards Claire again.

"Please, Claire." She retreated away from him.

"Thomas, I said get out!" When he just stood and stared at her, Claire screamed. "GET OUT!" Thomas showed no sign that he was going anywhere.

Boone approached him. "I think it's time you left, don't you?" He seized Thomas' arm and attempted to move him. As soon as Boone touched his arm, Thomas swung round and punched Boone on the nose. Claire screamed and Boone tumbled backwards, clutching his bleeding nose. Thomas stared at his fist, and seemed terrified of what he had just done. He looked at the two of them, and ran out of the apartment.

As soon as Thomas left, Claire dashed to Boone's side. It was bleeding quite hard.

"I'm so sorry." She mumbled repeatedly. Boone tried to reassure her that it wasn't her fault, but when he opened his mouth, some blood ran in. She seized a cloth and gently, although her hand was shaking, placed it on the source of the bleeding.

After a few minutes, Claire was still shaking. They were both sitting on the floor.

"We need to get you to a hospital." She said uneasily. Boone finally felt he was able to talk, with difficulty.

"I'll be alright." The bleeding had already slowed down a lot. "Luckily for me, he isn't very strong." Claire laughed, but it seemed forced. Boone turned to face her, and he saw she was crying. He shuffled towards her, and attempted to put an arm around her. Claire helped him by snuggling down into his chest. He could feel her tears dropping onto his chest.

They sat there for half an hour, not saying anything and not moving, apart from Claire shaking against him. Boone took an arm away from her and removed the cloth from his nose. The bleeding had stopped. The movement of Boone's arm seemed to have made Claire aware of what was happening, and she sat herself up, but still keeping her eyes on Boone. He turned to look at her. Her eyes were guilt-ridden as she looked at his nose.

"Claire, it wasn't your fault." He said soothingly as he shuffled towards her again. She shook her head solemnly.

"If I had handled him differently-" Boone interrupted her.

"You were bound to react the way you did." He slipped his hand into hers and she smiled.

"Thanks." She paused. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Boone was taken aback by the question. He hesitated.

"I like you." He paused for a second. "We're friends aren't we? That's what friends do." Boone hoped this was the answer she was looking for. He smiled with relief when she squeezed his hand. Well, it definitely seemed to satisfy her.

A few hours later, Boone was loading Claire's belongings into his car. She stood awkwardly by the car and watched him. He had insisted that he did all the packing.

"We should probably get your nose checked out, just in case." She said.

"Don't worry." He closed the car doors and opened Claire's for her. "Jack's a doctor." Claire smiled and climbed into the passenger seat. As Boone made his way round to the other side of the car and got in.

As he started the ignition, he stopped and looked at his watch. He was supposed to meet Jack three hours ago. He wondered if he should drop Claire off at the apartment and hurry off to meet Jack. He decided against it.

"_He'll understand. Claire needs me now."_

"Boone? Is something wrong?" Claire asked. Boone turned to her.

"Everything's fine." He smiled as he pulled out onto the main road. Claire took one last glimpse at her old apartment, and then never looked back. Thomas didn't know she was moving. She was safe. She was leaving that life behind her…forever.

Review if you want another chappie!

-Offers candy to anyone who reviews- Please review!


	3. Nerves

Sorry for the long wait folks! I've been very busy, but it's finally here! It's a miracle that I even fitted in writing this chapter, so it may be a while before my next update. Sorry!

To all you reviewers, thank you so much! Here's your candy!

Disclaimer: Same as before

**Chapter 3- Nerves**

Boone waved goodbye as Claire climbed out of his car and walked towards the Fish and Fry on Monday morning. He sighed. He knew a woman at this late stage of her pregnancy should not be working, but he decided to save that argument for later. Now he was going to have to make an excuse for missing work the other day.

He drove in to the office car park, and tried to push away the feelings of dread that were creeping in to his mind. He shook away his nerves, he'd only missed one day. He could just say that he had been ill and wasn't able to call the office to tell them. Usually he wouldn't have cared so much, but now he wanted to keep his pay stable as he had a very pregnant roommate to support.

He didn't even like this job. It bored him so much, making boxes. Boxes! He often wondered why anyone in the right mind would want to do this. He had only got this job because he wanted to show his Mum that he could make it on his own. Boone used to be a wedding CEO, working for his mother, but as soon as she found out he was gay, she fired him on the spot. This job at the office was the quickest one he found that he could get.

While approaching his own 'box' to start working (he didn't want to deal with his superiors before it was absolutely necessary), he stopped at the cubicle next to his own.

"Hi John." An older man turned round in his chair to face Boone, and smiled.

"Good morning Boone. Where were you on Friday?" Boone thought about his answer. Should he tell John the truth, or the lie? Over all the time of working at the office, Boone and John had come to know each other quite well, and were quite good friends. Even though John was no higher than Boone in the workforce, Boone looked up to him. He was very wise, and always knew the right thing to say and do. Boone smiled and grabbed a nearby stool. He perched on it and told John about Claire, and they both discussed it in hushed voices.

When Boone had finished, he realised the time and left to begin work. As he entered his 'box', he saw that someone was already sitting in his chair. Boone blushed as Jack stood up and kissed Boone lightly on the cheek.

"Hey, go you want to go to lunch later?" Jack asked as he moved to let Boone into his chair.

"Sorry, I can't. I'm meeting Claire." Boone looked at Jack, trying to show him as best he could that he was sorry. He was slightly surprised as Jack's previously warm expression became a little colder. "I am sorry." Jack continued to gaze at him.

"Boone, I'm worried about you." Jack eyes followed him as he moved. Boone looked at him, rather confused. "You've just met her, and already you've missed work for her, and even missed our date." Boone sighed.

"There are good reasons for those."

"I'm just worried about you. Is she going to take over your life?" Jack asked softly. Boone stared at him, rather shocked.

"I haven't missed that much! It's only been a few days!"

"You even missed our weekly Sunday lunch!" Jack exclaimed.

"As I've already said, I'm sorry. She's pregnant and she needs taking care of."

"She's the one having the baby, she's not the baby itself!"

"You're over-reacting." Boone flicked through today's assignment. Jack glared at Boone, and didn't say a word as he stormed away. Boone took a deep breath as he ran through his hair. He really did not handle that well at all. He shoved his face into his hands and John came round into his cubicle. He placed an arm around Boone's shoulder and they both sighed.

Meanwhile, Claire was enjoying herself back at work. It felt good to be with her old friends, and back in a familiar environment. However, it was not a nice area. It was close to where she used to live, and a few people, who were already rather drunk, were wobbling around in the street. She recognised a few of the faces as she watched from the till. Some were her old neighbours.

A bearded man, around Claire's age, squeezed her hand as he walked past her with a fresh order of fries. Claire smiled at him, and he smiled back. His name was Charlie, and he was probably Claire's best friend in this area. Charlie, in Claire's opinion, was a very sweet guy and she liked him a lot. He had regularly offered that she could move in with him, but she knew that he already had his brother to take care of. His brother, Liam, had insisted to keep trying to make it as a rock star, and had tried so hard that he had lost most of his money, and had to move in with Charlie.

"Yo, dude! You forgot your change!" Claire giggled quietly as she turned round to see Hurley, another of her friends, passing a few coins to a man on the other side of the till. Hurley was rather large, but Claire loved him that way. In her opinion, it meant that he gave the best bear hugs in the world.

They had both been so supportive when they found out that Claire was moving in with Boone. Charlie was quite excited. If they had any disappointments, they didn't show them. Claire didn't know what she would have done without these two guys. They had helped her so much, through the pregnancy, getting this job. Charlie was actually the reason Claire had even got the chance to work here. He had talked with the owner of the Fish and Fry, and asked him to give her a chance. Thankfully, he agreed, but reluctantly. He didn't regularly give jobs to pregnant women.

Claire looked at the time and realised that she had to go and meet Boone for lunch.

"I'll see you later!" Claire said to Charlie and Hurley as she hung up her apron. They both smiled and said goodbye as she put on her coat.

When she was about to reach the door, a loud shot rang through the air and stopped her in her tracks. All three of them froze and looked at each other. Someone, just outside in the street, had fired a gun. After a few seconds, all three of them jumped into action and ran out of the door. Claire gasped as she saw a body lying in the road.

As she and Charlie approached, they saw it was a tall, blonde woman. She definitely wasn't from around here. Blood was lying around her leg, and Charlie looked at the bullet wound below her knee.

"Call an ambulance!" Charlie yelled. Hurley was frozen to the spot, staring at the blood. Claire should have expected this. Hurley had never been able to stand blood. She swung her head around quickly in a panic. The shooter was nowhere in sight. A few members of the public were gawking at them and the woman. Claire dashed in to the shop again and rang the hospital. She dashed out again as soon as she could, and stared at the body. Why would someone do this? Who was she? Claire squeezed Charlie's hand softly, and began to calm down a little. The shooter could be anywhere, even just around the corner, watching. This petrified Claire, and she squeezed Charlie's hand tighter. He turned to face her, and squeezed her hand back, comfortingly.

When the ambulance arrived, she and Charlie insisted on coming along, seeing as she was alone. Boone had completely gone from her mind. If he hadn't, she would have realised that he was sitting alone, waiting for her.

I just love CC! Yay! Hope you liked this chapter.

-Offers cake- Please read and review!


	4. Protection

_Sorry I didn't write any more to this story. Chapter stories don't seem to agree with me. I'm surprised I'm writing another chapter right now. Just to say, I can't promise when there will be the next instalment to this story. I don't blame you if you give up on me._

_Disclaimer: Zilch._

**Chapter 4**

Claire sat in astonishment. Who would have done this? Who was this girl? As she waited to hear news of the girl's health, she bounced her knee up and down, and rubbed her hands together to wipe off the sweat. Charlie was hurrying from nurse to nurse, trying to find out what was going on.

Eventually, Charlie gave up and sat down with Claire. They sat in silence, which was unlike the pair of them, yet what do you say when you've just brought in a girl who has been shot?

"Did you know her?" Claire finally spoke up. Charlie turned to her, as if in surprise of the silence being broken. He took a second, and then shook his head sadly.

"No. You?" He asked.

"No." Claire sighed. The girl had been alone. What had she been doing? She seemed rather glamorous. Why was she there? She definitely did not live locally.

At that moment, a Doctor approached the two of them. Claire studied his face, hoping for a clue to what she was about to her.

"She is under anaesthetic, but she is stable. Thankfully the bullet missed any vital organs. She is going to be scarred, but there will be no serious damage." Claire released a breath that she had not even realised she had been holding, and grinned. Charlie gave her a quick, happy embrace.

"Are you relatives of the patient?" The Doctor asked them. Claire shook her head.

"No, we just brought her in."

"Well, I'll go make some calls to find some of her relatives. Excuse me." As the Doctor left, Charlie and Claire turned to each other, and laughed. The two embraced again, in triumph and relief.

At the same time that Charlie and Claire got their good news, Boone sat at the table back at his and Claire's apartment. He had set up a special dinner for the two of them; cooked turkey with mashed potatoes. Not luxury, but Boone was not the best cook, and he knew it. He had a rough day in dealing with Jack, and needed a relaxing meal. Boone sighed and looked at the clock. Claire should have been back an hour ago. Boone was worried; he had no way of getting in contact with her. Yet he did know where she worked. With this idea, he blew out the candles at the table and got into his car.

When he reached the shop, a man was locking the door, closing up for the night. The man was rather large with long, brown curly hair. Boone strode up to him quickly; he was now panicking. If the shop was closed, and she got off a while ago, where was Claire?

"Hey!" Boone shouted to get the man's attention. He turned to Boone, surprised at being called. "Do you know Claire Littleton?"

"Yeah, I know her." The man replied. Boone noticed a smile begin on the corners of the man's mouth; this must be one of Claire's friends that she had mentioned.

"Do you know where she is?" Boone asked, talking faster than he normally would have.

"She's at the hospital." At this Boone, drew in a sharp breath. Was she hurt? Did she go into labour? He wasn't there to help her. "A girl was shot and she went with the ambulance." Boone sighed in relief, and raced back to his car, shouting thanks back to the man before driving faster than was legal to get to the hospital.

When he finally got there, he raced to the reception, and skidded to a halt in front of a passing nurse. She almost fell over in surprise, and turned to Boone.

"Please, there was a girl brought in, she was shot, do you know where she is?" Boone asked, making sure that his voice had slowed down and he was speaking coherently.

"When was she brought in?" The nurse asked. Boone hesitated. He had no idea.

"Um, a couple of hours ago? An hour ago? I'm not sure. There was a very heavily pregnant girl with her." At this, the nurse's eyes lit up with understanding, and she directed him to the room where the girl was resting. No doubt that Claire would be in the closest waiting area to that room. Boone hurtled off down the corridor, shouting thanks back to the nurse as he had down with the man at the shop earlier.

Boone was not watching where he was going; he was just concentrating on getting to Claire. He collided with a large number of people, yet he did not slow his pace. He only stopped when he heard a familiar voice calling his name. He turned to the source and saw Jack waving at him across the corridor. Boone hesitated, he really did not have time to talk; he needed to check that Claire was alright. Yet, he walked over to Jack quickly, fully intending on leaving after a quick greeting.

"Jack, I really need to-"

"You came to see me." Jack interrupted, smiling broadly. Boone looked up at his happy face, unsure of what to say.

"Yeah." Boone finally responded. "But I need to go now." He made to run again, but Jack put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, what's the hurry?" Jack looked at him. Boone sighed; he needed to tell him the truth, but he wouldn't like it.

"There was a girl that was shot, I need to find Claire." At this, Jack frowned.

"Was Claire the one who was shot?" Jack asked, staring intensely at Boone. He hated it when Jack did that. Boone squirmed nervously.

"No, she was there when it happened."

"Then I'm sure she's fine. You can wait for a while." Jack smiled, yet Boone avoided Jack's gaze.

"No, I really need to go see her." Without giving Jack the chance to reply, Boone ran down the corridor. He heard Jack calling him.

"What, are you in love with her or something?" Boone did not react; he was focused on Claire. He would deal with Jack later.

AS he turned the next corner, he saw Claire looking through a window into one of the private hospital rooms. Boone sighed with relief, and darted up to her.

"Claire." He was so happy to see her. At the sound of her name, she turned round, and smiled when she saw Boone. She walked over to him and gave him a tight hug. Boone held her a little longer than he normally would have; he was so relieved she was alright.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She said, as she pulled out of the embrace. Boone shook his head.

"It's fine. Where's the girl?" He asked. Claire pointed at the window she had been looking through. Boone peered in. Her blonde hair was falling over the edge of her face. As Boone studied her, he gasped. She was familiar. As it dawned on him, he swallowed. Shannon.

"Shit."

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